Placing Rare Rust Engineers for the First FINRA-Approved ATS in History
Placing Rare Rust Engineers for the First FINRA-Approved Trading System in History
When a high-growth fintech achieved what no firm ever had — FINRA approval for an Alternative Trading System — they needed equally rare engineering talent. After two months of internal searching with zero results, they returned to Bespoke. Two specialised engineers placed in 45 days. A $12M Series A followed.
Talent That Barely
Exists on the Market
Rust engineers are scarce by any measure. Finding candidates who also held fintech regulatory or blockchain and DeFi experience reduced the addressable market to a fraction of an already thin pool.
The client had relied solely on their own network. After two months without results, they returned to Bespoke — trusted from two prior placements — to take over the search entirely.
The in-office requirement within a heavily regulated environment created resistance from top candidates, requiring active consulting on both sides of the table to resolve without losing the deal.
A Hunter's Instinct,
A Consultant's Touch
We deployed a true active sourcing strategy — no passive pipelines. Using LinkedIn, Dice, and specialised technical communities, we ran high-touch, multi-channel outreach combining direct messages, SMS, and phone calls to reach engineers who were not actively looking. Every conversation led with the value proposition: the rare chance to build on a genuinely historic platform at the cutting edge of regulated fintech.
We framed the opportunity around its significance — working on the first FINRA-approved ATS in history is a career-defining distinction that broke through the noise where a standard job posting never could.
When top candidates expressed hesitancy about the in-office requirement, we worked with the client to introduce hybrid schedule flexibility — protecting the deal without compromising operational needs.
Our existing relationship, built over two prior placements, gave candidates added confidence in the opportunity's legitimacy and long-term stability — a factor that generic agencies simply cannot replicate.
Engineers Who Built
an Industry First
"We don't just fill roles. We place the engineers who build industry firsts."
In deep-tech fintech, the difference between the right engineer and the wrong one is measured in regulatory approvals, funding rounds, and market position. This engagement demonstrates Bespoke Placement Group's ability to source talent that doesn't exist on the surface — passive, highly specialised professionals who require a hunter's instinct and a consultant's touch to engage and close.
